DeAngelo Williams, Pierre Thomas Sit Idle as NFC South Holds Franchise Tags

by Ray Glier

Filed under: Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Panthers, Saints, NFC South

Friday is the deadline for NFL teams to designate players on their teams as franchise players. So far, the NFC South is 0-fer.

The designation is the for the unrestricted free agent the team does not want to get out on the open market, or a player the team feels it can sign to a multi-year deal. Michael Vick was tagged as a franchise player by the Eagles, which means he will get a one-year deal no less than the average of the five highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL.

There is not an unrestricted free agent in the NFC South, it seems, that a team could let walk.

Davin Joseph, an offensive guard on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is pretty valuable because the Bucs have been hit with injuries along the line and want to protect quarterback Josh Freeman. But it's two days from the deadline, and the Bucs haven't moved.

It appears the team is going to let free agent linebacker Barrett Ruud get out on the market. They have not offered him a deal. Each team is allowed one franchise tag.

The Falcons have two valuable offensive linemen who are unrestricted free agents, tackle Tyson Clabo and guard Harvey Dahl, but there has not been a move to tag either one of them.

The one free agent on defense is linebacker Mike Peterson, but the Falcons signed him off the street and he is near the end of his career. There is also kicker Matt Bryant, who had a terrific season for Atlanta.

Carolina running back DeAngelo Williams is a possibility for a franchise tag and so is defensive end Charles Johnson. But the Panthers, as pointed out by Darrin Gantt of The Charlotte Observer, are awash in cash after 2010. They have money to sign key players to long-term deals.

Considering how well wide receivers are being paid, the Saints might have to offer $10 or $11 million to put a franchise tag on Lance Moore. It's the same with running back Pierre Thomas, who the team decided last summer was not worth the big money.

Here's the big issue: what are the rules? The Collective Bargaining Agreement ends March 4.

 

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Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/16/deangelo-williams-pierre-thomas-sit-idle-as-nfc-south-holds-fra/

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